Borat was revolutionary. Borat was an amazing character. By playing someone so racist, he was able to get unsuspecting people to expose their own racism. Borat is one of the funniest movies of all time.
After Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen couldn't really get away with that kind of filmmaking anymore. But he tried anyway, and we got Bruno. It was harder to get people participate without being in on the joke, and who knows how many of the people in the movie didn't know that Bruno was a character. The movie wasn't nearly as good as Borat, but it had it's moments.
For The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen has abandoned that style of filmmaking. This movie is just a traditional movie with a script and everything. Cohen plays Admiral General Aladeen of Wadiya, a fictional country in northern Africa. He is a comedic version of several evil dictators rolled up into one. Anyone who he doesn't approve of, he has killed. He plays Wii Terrorist, which includes a level called Munich Olympics. Yes, that is as offensive as it sounds.
When Aladeen comes to New York to speak to the UN, he is kidnapped by a CIA agent. He escapes, but he has had his beard shaved off and is wearing ragged clothes. The UN security thinks he's some crazy homeless guy and they chase him off. He meets an ultra left wing feminist activist named Zoey (Anna Farris), and the movie turns into a romantic comedy.
There is something in the movie to offend just about everyone. Some of the jokes are so over the top that they are not even funny, just offensive, which somehow becomes even funnier. I was laughing a lot.
Not all the jokes work. There is a scene in the trailer where Aladeen and his countryman are flying in a helicopter. They are speaking in their language, and the older American couple are able to make out words like 'Bin Laden' and '9/11' and they start to scream. This is just a misunderstanding, and it could have been really funny. But them movie takes so long building up this joke, and you know exactly where it's going that by the time it gets there, the joke has run out of steam. A big part of humor is surprise, and if there is no surprise at a punchline, it's hard to laugh at it.
But despite that, there are plenty of good jokes. The easily offended shouldn't go, but if you saw Borat and Bruno, you have some idea what to expect. And I really enjoyed the speech that Aladeen gives at the end about the benefits of democracy and the evils of a dictatorship.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Dark Shadows - 1 1/2 stars
I have never seen an episode of the Dark Shadows soap opera from the 60s and 70s, so I have no idea how faithful this movie is to the show. Will fans of the show like this movie better than I did, or will they be even more disappointed? No idea, but this movie sucks.
In the 1700s Barnabas Collins and his parents moved from England to Maine. They started a fishing business, and became so successful that the town of Collinsport was named after them. They also built a huge gothic mansion called Collinwood Manor. Barnabas broke the heart of a witch named Angelique, and she took her revenge. First she killed his parents, then she killed his fiancee. When he tried to kill himself, she turned him into a vampire. Then she lead the townspeople to capture him and imprison him in a coffin. The chained the coffin shut and buried him. This reminds me of what the vampires tried to do to Brad Pitt in Interview With the Vampire, but I digress.
200 years go by and Barnabas is set free by construction workers. After killing them (he says to one "Sorry about this but you have no idea how thirsty I am."), he returns to Collinwood Manor. He finds his descendants living there and the fishing business is close to ruin.
That's about all there is to the story. The rest of the movie is just spending time with the family, and Angelique trying to win him back. He doesn't seem that upset at her for what she did to him, and she is still in love with him. But she does threaten to kill his family and imprison him again if he doesn't love her.
The only entertaining stuff in the movie is Barnabas reacting to the 20th century. McDonald's, cars, television, and lava lamps are all foreign to him. I enjoyed the way he spoke with his semi-british victorian accent, and some of his lines were really funny. But aside from that, the movie bored me to tears. There is barely any story there. Sub plots are set up and not paid off. We waste time with characters who seem important, then disappear for long stretches at a time.
That's about all the effort I can muster to talk about this movie. There are 15 funny minutes in there, the rest is a total waste of time. Oh, and Michelle Pfeiffer and Chloe Grace Moretz give the worst performances of their careers. They're good actors, so I blame Tim Burton and the screenwriter for giving them nothing interesting to work with.
In the 1700s Barnabas Collins and his parents moved from England to Maine. They started a fishing business, and became so successful that the town of Collinsport was named after them. They also built a huge gothic mansion called Collinwood Manor. Barnabas broke the heart of a witch named Angelique, and she took her revenge. First she killed his parents, then she killed his fiancee. When he tried to kill himself, she turned him into a vampire. Then she lead the townspeople to capture him and imprison him in a coffin. The chained the coffin shut and buried him. This reminds me of what the vampires tried to do to Brad Pitt in Interview With the Vampire, but I digress.
200 years go by and Barnabas is set free by construction workers. After killing them (he says to one "Sorry about this but you have no idea how thirsty I am."), he returns to Collinwood Manor. He finds his descendants living there and the fishing business is close to ruin.
That's about all there is to the story. The rest of the movie is just spending time with the family, and Angelique trying to win him back. He doesn't seem that upset at her for what she did to him, and she is still in love with him. But she does threaten to kill his family and imprison him again if he doesn't love her.
The only entertaining stuff in the movie is Barnabas reacting to the 20th century. McDonald's, cars, television, and lava lamps are all foreign to him. I enjoyed the way he spoke with his semi-british victorian accent, and some of his lines were really funny. But aside from that, the movie bored me to tears. There is barely any story there. Sub plots are set up and not paid off. We waste time with characters who seem important, then disappear for long stretches at a time.
That's about all the effort I can muster to talk about this movie. There are 15 funny minutes in there, the rest is a total waste of time. Oh, and Michelle Pfeiffer and Chloe Grace Moretz give the worst performances of their careers. They're good actors, so I blame Tim Burton and the screenwriter for giving them nothing interesting to work with.
The Avengers - 4 stars
The Avengers is the most entertaining superhero movie I have ever seen. Not necessarily the best, but the most fun. I'd have a hard time putting it up against Superman (1978), but then that's a special movie from my childhood, so I'm not sure it's fair to compare anything to that movie.
I enjoyed the first Iron Man, but I thought the second one was tedious. I liked The Incredible Hulk and Thor, but I was bored by Captain America. After those 5 movies, I was really curious to see what it would be like to have all 4 of those superheroes in a movie together. The end result exceeded my wildest expectations.
The movie did get off to a slow start for me. When Loki appears at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, steals the Tesseract, and brainwashes several people, it just didn't have the excitement that it should have had. The blow up the base and there's a car chase, but it just didn't have much excitement for some reason. Then we go into a half hour of assembling the different characters.
Robert Downey, Jr. was fun as usual. He is trying to have a nice, romantic evening with Pepper Potts and Agent Coulson shows up to spoil the evening. Black Widow gets a fun introduction. She is tied to a chair and being beaten by European mobsters, and it turns out they are just telling her all the information she needs. Bruce Banner's introduction is also nice. Mark Ruffalo plays Banner better than Eric Bana or Edward Norton. I really hope they make another Hulk movie with Ruffalo. Captain America's introduction is basically just picking up right where his movie left off. Thor is the last to show up, and his is probably the weakest introduction.
Once the group is together, then the fun begins. I love how Tony Stark wants to see Banner turn into the Hulk. He is constantly taunting him, even poking him with a stick to try to make him angry. Stark and Rogers also have some fun verbal matches. Stark and Rogers are total opposites, and it's great to hear them argue. The first scene where all the heroes are together is where the movie really takes off. Then Loki shows up and we get some good action. The group is split apart, things look dark, they get together again for the final showdown / big action setpiece, just like you would expect.
There aren't a whole lot of surprises in the story, but that's ok. Getting to see these characters together on screen is just so cool. Considering the challenges of keeping a cast together and keeping egos of the actors in check, this movie is a real accomplishment. Thank goodness Marvel Studios paid the actors what they needed. Except for Hulk, all the actors from the previous 5 movies are here. And Ruffalo is so good that I completely forgot that Edward Norton was Banner in the Hulk movie.
The final showdown is incredible. It involves these giant metal space fish things attacking New York City. Unlike a movie like Transformers, this never gets dull. In the middle of all the carnage and mayhem, the characters are talking to each other. We know and care about these characters, so we are invested in what happens to them. Also, director Joss Whedon maintains a good sense of geography. When crazy stuff is going on on screen, you can still tell where the characters are in relation to one another. Michael Bay could learn a few things from Joss Whedon.
There is a great tracking shot that shows each character doing battle. I think the shot lasted a good minute or two without cutting away. That was really cool. But my favorite part of the whole movie is when Hulk confronts Loki in Stark's apartment. I think that was the most satisfying scene I have seen in a movie in years.
There is no way anyone could go see Avengers and not leave the theater happy.
I enjoyed the first Iron Man, but I thought the second one was tedious. I liked The Incredible Hulk and Thor, but I was bored by Captain America. After those 5 movies, I was really curious to see what it would be like to have all 4 of those superheroes in a movie together. The end result exceeded my wildest expectations.
The movie did get off to a slow start for me. When Loki appears at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, steals the Tesseract, and brainwashes several people, it just didn't have the excitement that it should have had. The blow up the base and there's a car chase, but it just didn't have much excitement for some reason. Then we go into a half hour of assembling the different characters.
Robert Downey, Jr. was fun as usual. He is trying to have a nice, romantic evening with Pepper Potts and Agent Coulson shows up to spoil the evening. Black Widow gets a fun introduction. She is tied to a chair and being beaten by European mobsters, and it turns out they are just telling her all the information she needs. Bruce Banner's introduction is also nice. Mark Ruffalo plays Banner better than Eric Bana or Edward Norton. I really hope they make another Hulk movie with Ruffalo. Captain America's introduction is basically just picking up right where his movie left off. Thor is the last to show up, and his is probably the weakest introduction.
Once the group is together, then the fun begins. I love how Tony Stark wants to see Banner turn into the Hulk. He is constantly taunting him, even poking him with a stick to try to make him angry. Stark and Rogers also have some fun verbal matches. Stark and Rogers are total opposites, and it's great to hear them argue. The first scene where all the heroes are together is where the movie really takes off. Then Loki shows up and we get some good action. The group is split apart, things look dark, they get together again for the final showdown / big action setpiece, just like you would expect.
There aren't a whole lot of surprises in the story, but that's ok. Getting to see these characters together on screen is just so cool. Considering the challenges of keeping a cast together and keeping egos of the actors in check, this movie is a real accomplishment. Thank goodness Marvel Studios paid the actors what they needed. Except for Hulk, all the actors from the previous 5 movies are here. And Ruffalo is so good that I completely forgot that Edward Norton was Banner in the Hulk movie.
The final showdown is incredible. It involves these giant metal space fish things attacking New York City. Unlike a movie like Transformers, this never gets dull. In the middle of all the carnage and mayhem, the characters are talking to each other. We know and care about these characters, so we are invested in what happens to them. Also, director Joss Whedon maintains a good sense of geography. When crazy stuff is going on on screen, you can still tell where the characters are in relation to one another. Michael Bay could learn a few things from Joss Whedon.
There is a great tracking shot that shows each character doing battle. I think the shot lasted a good minute or two without cutting away. That was really cool. But my favorite part of the whole movie is when Hulk confronts Loki in Stark's apartment. I think that was the most satisfying scene I have seen in a movie in years.
There is no way anyone could go see Avengers and not leave the theater happy.
Friday, April 6, 2012
American Reunion - 3 stars
This is the 4th American Pie movie (not counting the direct to DVD sequels with none of the origianl cast except Eugene Levy). It's the 13th reunion for the class of 1999. Not sure why it has to be the 13th reunion, except that they want the movie to take place in 2012. There is some line about missing the 10 year reunion, so this is making up for it.
Anyway, let's see what all the characters are up to.
Jim and Michelle are still married. They have a young son, and their marriage is having trouble. Jim's mom died a few years earlier, and his dad is still in mourning.
Finch has been off globe trotting on various adventures.
Kevin is married (not to Vicky) and seems happy being a house husband.
Oz has a girlfriend (not Heather) and works as a sportscaster on an ESPN show (or something similar). He also recently competed on Dancing With the Stars-type show.
Stiffler is working as a temp at an investment firm. He is the same old Stiffler, and no mention is made of Cadence, the girl he ended up with at the end of American Wedding.
I like seeing these characters again. After 4 movies, I'm very familiar with all of them and it's just nice to see their further adventures, which basically involve the 4 friends hanging out and Stiffler screwing everything up. Not that they each can't get into trouble on their own.
There are some very funny bits in the movie. After a night of drinking, Jim wakes up half naked in the kitchen. When Michelle and another girl walk in, he tries to cover himself with a see-through pan lid. When the hot 18-year old next door gets drunk and passes out in his car, Jim tries to sneak her into her bed while his friends distract her parents. When a group of teenagers soak our characters with jetskis, Stiffler gets them back in a way that's way over the top.
Just about everything Stiffler does in this movie is funny. Seann William Scott has been funny in other movies besides the American Pie series, but this is his best character. And since the character means well, there is a sweetness about him. He is vulgar and vile, but he really just wants the other guys to like him. Almost nothing he does is out of any malice, he just doesn't know any better.
I will admit that there are too many characters. One reason I liked American Wedding so much was that Oz and Michelle were not in it. They were the two least interesting characters in the first 2 movies. Also, Kevin is a rather disposable character, and they really didn't need to bring Tara Reid back. Towards the end we see a bunch of other minor characters make brief appearances, like Nadia and the Sherminator. I guess it's nice to see them again, but the movie wouldn't have suffered without them.
There are more things I could pick apart in this movie, like how dumb some characters have to be to not notice what's going on around them, or some of the obvious setups for jokes. At times it felt like the screenwriters had a checklist of lines and actions that they had to get in the movie (make sure Stiffler's mom and Finch gets brought up, put Jim and Michelle in a band room with flutes, get in a "One time at band camp" reference) but I can forgive those when the movie is as funny as this one is.
To be honest, I wouldn't mind if they made another one in a few years. I'm not sure what the next one would be about. Maybe drop the new titles and just call it American Pie 5.
Anyway, let's see what all the characters are up to.
Jim and Michelle are still married. They have a young son, and their marriage is having trouble. Jim's mom died a few years earlier, and his dad is still in mourning.
Finch has been off globe trotting on various adventures.
Kevin is married (not to Vicky) and seems happy being a house husband.
Oz has a girlfriend (not Heather) and works as a sportscaster on an ESPN show (or something similar). He also recently competed on Dancing With the Stars-type show.
Stiffler is working as a temp at an investment firm. He is the same old Stiffler, and no mention is made of Cadence, the girl he ended up with at the end of American Wedding.
I like seeing these characters again. After 4 movies, I'm very familiar with all of them and it's just nice to see their further adventures, which basically involve the 4 friends hanging out and Stiffler screwing everything up. Not that they each can't get into trouble on their own.
There are some very funny bits in the movie. After a night of drinking, Jim wakes up half naked in the kitchen. When Michelle and another girl walk in, he tries to cover himself with a see-through pan lid. When the hot 18-year old next door gets drunk and passes out in his car, Jim tries to sneak her into her bed while his friends distract her parents. When a group of teenagers soak our characters with jetskis, Stiffler gets them back in a way that's way over the top.
Just about everything Stiffler does in this movie is funny. Seann William Scott has been funny in other movies besides the American Pie series, but this is his best character. And since the character means well, there is a sweetness about him. He is vulgar and vile, but he really just wants the other guys to like him. Almost nothing he does is out of any malice, he just doesn't know any better.
I will admit that there are too many characters. One reason I liked American Wedding so much was that Oz and Michelle were not in it. They were the two least interesting characters in the first 2 movies. Also, Kevin is a rather disposable character, and they really didn't need to bring Tara Reid back. Towards the end we see a bunch of other minor characters make brief appearances, like Nadia and the Sherminator. I guess it's nice to see them again, but the movie wouldn't have suffered without them.
There are more things I could pick apart in this movie, like how dumb some characters have to be to not notice what's going on around them, or some of the obvious setups for jokes. At times it felt like the screenwriters had a checklist of lines and actions that they had to get in the movie (make sure Stiffler's mom and Finch gets brought up, put Jim and Michelle in a band room with flutes, get in a "One time at band camp" reference) but I can forgive those when the movie is as funny as this one is.
To be honest, I wouldn't mind if they made another one in a few years. I'm not sure what the next one would be about. Maybe drop the new titles and just call it American Pie 5.
Thin Ice - 3 stars
Greg Kinnear stars as Mickey, a down on his luck insurance salesman. He is well liked enough in the industry to speak at a conference at a nice warm resort, but back home in snow-bound Wisconsin things are getting worse for him. His wife has kicked him out of the house and he is behind in his bills.
One day while selling an insurance policy to a crazy old man named Gorvy Hauer (Alan Arkin), he discovers that the old man owns a rare violin worth a lot of money. Gorvy has no idea the violin is worth anything, so Mickey offers to buy it for $10. Before he can collect the violin, Gorvey finds out about its value. Now Gorvy doesn't want to sell it, and Mickey is getting more desperate, he decides to break into the house and swap it with a cheap violin. He is discovered by Randy (Billy Crudup) who installed a home security system for Gorvy.
Mickey convinces Randy not to rat him out, and then a neighbor discover the two of them breaking in. The neighbor is killed, and things spiral out of control from there.
This movie is kind of like Fargo or A Simple Plan - Mickey is not a criminal, but desperate and sees a way to make some quick money. He thinks no one will be hurt, but as the movie progresses things get worse and worse for him. It is especially similar to Fargo in the way Mickey is kind of a weasel like Jerry Lundegaard, and it is set in the winter in the same region.
The movie is nowhere near as good as Fargo, but its still a nice movie in its own right. Kinnear is perfect as the fast talking salesman who is always trying to get away with something. Arkin is great is the slightly crazy old man. He doesn't understand the concept of liability insurance, and he calls the insurance guy every time the TV needs to be fixed.
Billy Crudup is also really good as the twitchy ex-con who isn't going back to jail. This is probably the best thing I have seen Crudup do. He is this manic energy that is fun to watch, and his scenes with Kinnear are a lot of fun.
My only complaint with this movie is the ending. There is a twist to it that changes the entire movie and it doesn't really fit. I shouldn't complain too much, because it was unexpected and it was better than ending with a simple shootout or something. But the end just felt wrong.
But that aside, I really enjoyed Thin Ice while I was watching it.
One day while selling an insurance policy to a crazy old man named Gorvy Hauer (Alan Arkin), he discovers that the old man owns a rare violin worth a lot of money. Gorvy has no idea the violin is worth anything, so Mickey offers to buy it for $10. Before he can collect the violin, Gorvey finds out about its value. Now Gorvy doesn't want to sell it, and Mickey is getting more desperate, he decides to break into the house and swap it with a cheap violin. He is discovered by Randy (Billy Crudup) who installed a home security system for Gorvy.
Mickey convinces Randy not to rat him out, and then a neighbor discover the two of them breaking in. The neighbor is killed, and things spiral out of control from there.
This movie is kind of like Fargo or A Simple Plan - Mickey is not a criminal, but desperate and sees a way to make some quick money. He thinks no one will be hurt, but as the movie progresses things get worse and worse for him. It is especially similar to Fargo in the way Mickey is kind of a weasel like Jerry Lundegaard, and it is set in the winter in the same region.
The movie is nowhere near as good as Fargo, but its still a nice movie in its own right. Kinnear is perfect as the fast talking salesman who is always trying to get away with something. Arkin is great is the slightly crazy old man. He doesn't understand the concept of liability insurance, and he calls the insurance guy every time the TV needs to be fixed.
Billy Crudup is also really good as the twitchy ex-con who isn't going back to jail. This is probably the best thing I have seen Crudup do. He is this manic energy that is fun to watch, and his scenes with Kinnear are a lot of fun.
My only complaint with this movie is the ending. There is a twist to it that changes the entire movie and it doesn't really fit. I shouldn't complain too much, because it was unexpected and it was better than ending with a simple shootout or something. But the end just felt wrong.
But that aside, I really enjoyed Thin Ice while I was watching it.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - 3 1/2 stars
There is a rich oil sheikh who has a castle in Scotland. His favorite pasttime is fly fishing. He decides he would like to bring Salmon fishing to the Middle East, so he asks his financial consultant, Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) to make it happen. She contacts Britain's leading fishing expert Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor) to help. He tells her she's crazy. Salmon need cold water; the water in Yemen is warm. Salmon need fresh water; the water in Yemen is too salty.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's press secretary, Bridget Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) is looking for a good story. All the news stories coming out of the Middle East are about the wars and soldiers getting killed, so she needs an uplifting story about the region. When she catches wind of the sheikh's idea for fishing in Yemen, she contacts Jones and orders him to make it happen.
This is a wonderful movie. The characters are well developed and they have interesting things to say. Jones is married but not happy. He also might have Asperger's syndrome (the character mentions it, but it seemed like he was joking). Ms. Chetwode-Talbot (as Jones refers to her over and over) is dating a soldier fighting in Afghanistan.
The best character, who also doesn't get enough screen time, is Maxwell. If you saw In The Loop, she may remind you of Malcolm Tucker. She thinks everyone else is an idiot, and has no problem chewing them out in front of other people. I would like to see an entire movie focused on her and her interactions with other government workers.
The movie is more drama than comedy, but there are a lot of funny parts. The humor comes from the characters rather than being lame setups and jokes. The movie does drag in a few spots and the tone goes from serious to light and funny a few too many times, but that is a very minor complaint. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. It just works.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's press secretary, Bridget Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) is looking for a good story. All the news stories coming out of the Middle East are about the wars and soldiers getting killed, so she needs an uplifting story about the region. When she catches wind of the sheikh's idea for fishing in Yemen, she contacts Jones and orders him to make it happen.
This is a wonderful movie. The characters are well developed and they have interesting things to say. Jones is married but not happy. He also might have Asperger's syndrome (the character mentions it, but it seemed like he was joking). Ms. Chetwode-Talbot (as Jones refers to her over and over) is dating a soldier fighting in Afghanistan.
The best character, who also doesn't get enough screen time, is Maxwell. If you saw In The Loop, she may remind you of Malcolm Tucker. She thinks everyone else is an idiot, and has no problem chewing them out in front of other people. I would like to see an entire movie focused on her and her interactions with other government workers.
The movie is more drama than comedy, but there are a lot of funny parts. The humor comes from the characters rather than being lame setups and jokes. The movie does drag in a few spots and the tone goes from serious to light and funny a few too many times, but that is a very minor complaint. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. It just works.
Wrath of the Titans - 2 stars
In this sequel to Clash of the Titans (2010), Sam Worthington once again stars as Perseus, half man and half god. It's been 10 years since the events of the first film, and Perseus just wants to live a normal human life, raise his son, and fish.
One day Zeus (Liam Neeson) shows up and tells him that some kind of a war between the gods is coming. He asks Perseus to help him, and Perseus refuses. When Zeus travels to the underworld to meet with Hades (Ralph Fiennes), he is captured by Hades, who wants to steal Zeus's powers and give them to their father, Kronos. Once Kronos has enough power, he will be able to leave the underworld and destroy humanity.
When Perseus finds out about this, he decides he needs to save Zeus and stop Kronos. So he begins a quest to find a powerful weapon of the gods (so he can kill Kronos) and rescue Zeus.
This sounds like a decent setup for an action / fantasy movie. The problem is the characters are completely forgettable. For one thing, Sam Worthington is a very bland and boring actor. Either he is fighting, or he is standing around moping. He isn't given anything interesting to do in this movie. Another problem is the hectic camera style. When Perseus and Ares, the god of war, are fighting, the camera work is so jumbled that I couldn't tell which way was up. They are fighting and rolling around, and the camera is moving more than the characters. This is one of my big complaints in action movies like this. How about holding the camera still so we can actually see what is happening on screen?
At one point, the characters have to enter this giant labyrinth in order to enter the underworld. The labyrinth looks really cool and imposing. The labyrinth's designer says there are 100 doors that lead to death. Only one way will get them through. Well, it only takes them about 5 minutes to find their way through. One room almost crushes them, Perseus fights a minotaur, then it's over. That was disappointing.
I think this movie is about as bad as the first Clash of the Titans. If you do go see it, don't pay the extra for 3-D. It adds nothing.
One day Zeus (Liam Neeson) shows up and tells him that some kind of a war between the gods is coming. He asks Perseus to help him, and Perseus refuses. When Zeus travels to the underworld to meet with Hades (Ralph Fiennes), he is captured by Hades, who wants to steal Zeus's powers and give them to their father, Kronos. Once Kronos has enough power, he will be able to leave the underworld and destroy humanity.
When Perseus finds out about this, he decides he needs to save Zeus and stop Kronos. So he begins a quest to find a powerful weapon of the gods (so he can kill Kronos) and rescue Zeus.
This sounds like a decent setup for an action / fantasy movie. The problem is the characters are completely forgettable. For one thing, Sam Worthington is a very bland and boring actor. Either he is fighting, or he is standing around moping. He isn't given anything interesting to do in this movie. Another problem is the hectic camera style. When Perseus and Ares, the god of war, are fighting, the camera work is so jumbled that I couldn't tell which way was up. They are fighting and rolling around, and the camera is moving more than the characters. This is one of my big complaints in action movies like this. How about holding the camera still so we can actually see what is happening on screen?
At one point, the characters have to enter this giant labyrinth in order to enter the underworld. The labyrinth looks really cool and imposing. The labyrinth's designer says there are 100 doors that lead to death. Only one way will get them through. Well, it only takes them about 5 minutes to find their way through. One room almost crushes them, Perseus fights a minotaur, then it's over. That was disappointing.
I think this movie is about as bad as the first Clash of the Titans. If you do go see it, don't pay the extra for 3-D. It adds nothing.
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